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Baltimore Orioles
The '''Baltimore Orioles '''are an original team introduced to the CFL conference in 1958. They were named in accordance with the MLB team of the same name that moved to Baltimore in 1954. They are sometimes nicknamed 'the Boofs', which is an acronym for the "Baltimore Orioles Of Football". Under the helm of legendary head coach Mike Aslester, they dominated the FAFF - from 1958-1963 Baltimore had only missed one Pro-Team bowl. Aslester knew he wanted to coach one of the 1958 teams, but the guarantee that a team in his hometown of Baltimore was not set in stone. Early indications showed that the league wanted to settle in Washington DC – but financial complications and a push by Aslester to find sponsorship from Baltimore-based companies sealed the deal. Aslester received approximately eight players from Rocswood’s League – the rest were recruited locally or drafted from the free agency. Jesse Smits, who had been living in Annapolis, became lead quarterback in his freshman season. Fueled by the experienced coaching of Aslester, and a furious and relentless defense, Baltimore defeated Detroit in Pro Team Bowl I in early 1959. Although it was a small crowd, and although the FAFF was still largely unknown to the greater United States (the presence in the Southern US was especially small), Baltimore was already building their fan base. Another favorable draft, and investing in Hall-of-Fame running back Steve Doule, Baltimore quickly became the team to beat, and outscored their opponents 280-120 in 1960. This led to three more Pro-Team Bowl wins through 1963 (discluding a 1962 loss to the Miami Fire). By 1966, the FAFF was synonymous with the Baltimore Orioles – and most other teams were not happy about it. There was immediate pressure for the team to falter, take bets, or belittle Aslester into poor coaching situations. Aslester lost the 1966 Pro-Team Bowl to the Orlando Disneys, and after an average showing in 1967, Aslester lost Doule and his lead defensive end, John Frederix, to retirement. More members, including Smits, retired after the 1968 season (despite an honorable 11-5 record) and in 1969 they fell way, way down (3-13 record). Aslester left his head coaching position and moved on to coach the Los Angeles Litter, who visited the Pro-Team Bowl in 1971. Drafting quarterback Ivan Alexander in 1972 proved marginally successful in the mid-1970s, but a fractured tibia brought the horse’s early career to an end, and Baltimore had to search for filler in 1977. Ironically one of their best seasons, veteran Dan Johnson asked for an inexplicably impossible pay raise, and was let go after one season. Mike Honnis was drafted in 1978 – a smart move for the fledgling team. Mike Honnis would face the league’s most dangerous and conniving quarterback – Connecticut’s John Fletcher – in 1979 in the Pro-Team Bowl. In an almost impossible fashion, Baltimore won – and suddenly again, the Orioles were back in the limelight. The win-over of attention from defeating the #1 team in the nation, the Orioles changed their uniforms for the 1980 season, incorporating the color Black into their first official logo and mascot. The Orioles had traded for backup James Lefebvre in 1982 (of Phoenix Droughts fame), and ironically this saved the team from faulting. Honnis went down with an injury in Game 2, and Lefebvre remained lead quarterback for two years. Baltimore would travel to two straight Pro-Team Bowls (winning in 1982; losing to Connecticut in the ‘Redemption Bowl’ of 1983) – this would solidify Lefebvre, who remains best-known for his meltdown in 1981. After 1983, Baltimore would tease trading between Honnis (now fully healed) and Lefebvre at head quarterbacking positions, one of the few teams to regulate a system like this in history. Lefebvre left in 1986 after complications with the coaching staff, contractual obligations, and an opportunity to lead at quarterback full-time in Birmingham. Honnis also left after 1986 in a trade with Houston. Ron Cooke led the team through 1998, until Lamont Bryant was drafted as a rookie to Baltimore in 1999. He remains the lead quarterback as of 2014. They visited the Pro-Team Bowl in 2001 and 2003, although they lost both of them. Nevertheless, the Orioles have won a total of seven Pro-Team Bowls - tied for the best in the Federation - and won the 2012 Pro-Team Bowl last year vs. Kansas City. Offensive Coordinator Todd Schmidt (Cat) took over the Head Coach position this past year, replacing the retiring Irv Martin (Turtle - Snapping), who had been coaching the Orioles since 1995. Unfortunately, injuries plagued the Orioles in 2013, and the team slumped to 7-9 - their worst season record since 2000. Wigby Field has been the home of the Orioles throughout the entirety of their existence, and seats almost 80,000 fans. They are also known for having one of the largest and widespread fanbases in the entire league. Category:CFL East